music scales

last update : 10/08/2017 (full article rewrited including our approach of tuning, explanation about notation and all our handpan scales with sample video)

Our Approach to Handpan Tuning :

Shellopan is the name of a collective project, artisans carrying this project do not seek to create identical Handpans. Everyone has his style and his own quest for the type of instrument he prefers. It is one of the fundamental richnesses of our project. Below is a presentation of the work of the two co-founders of the Shellopan cooperative and the handpan scales we manufacture.

Matthieu: "I have a melodic approach to Handpan and I prefer instruments with more notes (9 to 11 notes on the upper shell).I create the membranes of each note preferring sensitivity and a soft touch of the surface is enough to activate a note. The outline of my notes is delimited in a fine and clearly visible way. My instruments usually have a long sustain and I do not recommend them for a high intensity percussive play.Placing more notes on an instrument can result in more coupling between notes and give more texture to the sound. A 9-note instrument usually has a purer sound than an 11-note version. The list of scales that I realize is visible below. "

Delphine: "I am building mostly 8+1 notes handpans by developing a tuning technique favoring a gradual integration of the notes on the shell. These wider and smoother edge conditions greatly influence the timbre of the sound of each note and the timbre of the instrument in its wholeness.I am currently focusing on a high/medium range of scales: from G AkeBono, F Equinox, D Minor Celtic, to C# Amara, for example... and any other specific request, to be studied on a case by case basis."

Explanations about notation and music scales :

The number of semi-tones between 2 notes, starting from the tonic are written in a list like this one : 2212221. All the components in a music mode have names :

Tonic = the first note of a scale, most of the time it’s not the central note but the note in front of your belly when the instrument is on your lap

m2, M2 = minor second or Major second

m3, M3 = minor third or Major Third. If the scale include a m3, it’s a minor scale

4th = fourth

Triton = 6 semi-tone from the tonic, dissonant note

5th = fith, the dominant of the scale

m6, M6 = minor sixth, Major sixth

m7, M7 = minor and Major seventh

8th = octave of the Tonic

12th = fith after the octave of the tonic

A heptatonic scale contains 7 notes per octave. A hexatonic scale contains 6 notes per octave, the missing note compared to the closest heptatonic scale is mentioned with : (-M2), it means that the Major 2nd is missing on the instrument. A pentatonic scale contains 5 notes per octave, the pentatonic instruments cover the largest register from low to high notes, they are easy to play intuitively but you may feel that it’s harder to create different atmosphere.

All the scales have “poetical” names like “Equinox” or “voyager” or names coming from their related Greek mode like “Aeolian” or names coming from their cultural origin like “Ake Bono” or “Hijaz”. To help to understand some music theory, I always wrote the name of the first musical mode you can find in the scale (ie : Ab Major hexatonic (-M2)).

About Greek modes, they are the most well-known modes in western music. The Ionian mode is also called the Major mode, the Aeolian mode is also called the natural minor mode. When you define what is the tonic (starting point), the mode becomes a scale. C Ionian have the same notes than D Dorian than E Phrygian than F Lydian than G Myxolydian than A Aeolian than B Locrian.

Most of the time, the central note is a bass in the scale and the note is always written in front of the scale name, but it’s not the tonic. Some notations add confusion : E Aeolian should be written E/A Aeolian because the E is a 4th under the first complete octave and the A is the real first note of the Aeolian scale.

AEGEAN

VOYAGER

D F A C D E F A C – F major pentatonic (-M2 -4th ) also called Voyager / magic Voyage / magic hour. If you consider this scale with a double bass (D and F) this scale is a A minor pentatonic (-M2 –m7), this scale is really easy to play with all the A or D minor scales.

RAGA DESYA TODI

Db F Ab Bb C Db Eb F Ab – F Aeolian Hexatonic (-M2) : Deeper Raga Desya Todi, include a Db Major (-4th ) if you consider the central note as the tonic. Close scale from the celtic minor, only the position of the central note is different.

CELTIC MINOR / AMARA

D A C D E F G A C D – A Aeolian hexatonic (-M2) also called Celtic minor, 9+1 notes. Considering the D as the tonic, this scale is a D minor too (-m6). Easy to play with F major instruments (the same notes).

COOPAN

LA SIRENA

E G B C# D E F# G B E – B Aeolian hexatonic (-m7) with 2 bass (E and G) also called E La Sirena with 8+2 notes. You can find the E Dorian and the G Lydian inside this scale. With a special taste coming from the last note.

AKEPYGNOX

F G Ab C Db Eb F G Ab C – F Aeolian hexatonic (-4th ) called F AkePygNox. This versatile scale includes F low Akebono (penta), F low Pygmy (penta), G locrian hexatonic (-m3), Ab major hexatonic (-M2) or Equinox and C Phrygian hexatonic (-m7) also called F/C Integral. One of the most versatile scale with 10 notes and the tonic as the central note. This scale is hard to build in F and some instruments may have a more textured sound.